Take a walk with me
by heartie07
Summary: What if Elizabeth died giving birth I would hate to see this happen but if it did, how would the town pull together to help Jack. How would Jack survive without his soulmate?


As he held his beautiful baby in his arms he couldn't help but feel broken inside. On one of the happiest days of his life, a dark cloud formed above him. How could his beloved wife leave him, leave their baby, their life that was just coming together. Abigail knocked on the door to let Jack know she was entering. Jack stood in a trance looking at the beautiful bundle in his hands. Pastor Hogan prayed over Elizabeth and patted Jack on the back. "You have a beautiful baby don't lose sight at your precious gift from above". All Jack could do was nod. He sat down in the rocking chair that Elizabeth had been eyeing in the catalog. He wanted to make her one but time escaped him. So she picked this one out. The beautiful baby stared at him, as if it could see through Jack. "Abigail, do you mind watching the baby? I have to run into town and handle a few things." "Sure , Umm Jack, one of the women from the settlement is going to come over to help with feedings. This baby is going to need a meal soon." Jack handed the baby to Abigail and nodded. Abigail's heart was truly broken. Her best friend dying, shortly after giving birth. Not long after her husband returned from the North. This poor baby was now motherless. She tried to hold in her tears and be strong for Jack. He would need all the strength he could receive.

At the Merchant tile he sent out telegrams to the Thatcher family and his mother. He then sent one to his supervisors informing them on taking a few weeks on leave.

Word had spread around town fast. As he walked to the jail the townspeople were heartbroken. Elizabeth had improved Hope Valley, and her presents would truly be missed. At the jail he collected a few items and left a note for Bill. He reached in his desk and saw a note that Elizabeth must had left earlier in the week. It simply said I love you. After reading it he broke down. He sat at his desk and let it all out. He had a million memories flooding his head at once. From meeting her the first time, to courting, their first kiss, to the day before. He glanced at the note and could hear her voice in his head. He looked at the clock,he needed to head he went to the wash basin he washed his face and gathered his items. He placed the note in his folder and made his back to the store. He had two Telegraphs waiting for him.

As he walked back to the house he saw a crowd outside leaving flowers by the gate. Abigail was walking in and out carrying different dishes that the women had created. He walked in the house and went upstairs without saying a word. Elizabeth had been moved to the infirmary , and the bed had been cleaned and changed. Isabel, a women from the settlement had just finished feeding the baby when Jack came in. "I'm sorry, I should have knocked" Jack said. "It's okay Constable, I was done. I'm um sorry for your loss. I will be back in a few hours to feed again". Jack nodded as he looked down at his baby. " Have you thought of a name Constable?" That's when it hit him, his beautiful baby was nameless.

Elizabeth had written down some names but then she decided that the name would come once she was able to hold the baby in her arms. "Not yet" "Well you're going to have to think of a name soon Constable." Isabel saw herself out. Downstairs Abigail was cleaning up and organizing dishes. Jack came down stairs. He sat on the bottom step and watched as Abigail moved around the house. " Abigail can you please let everyone know that I am thankful for the kindness shown but there is no way I will be able to eat all this food. We should get the wagon and have a potluck at the saloon. I don't want the food to go to waste.

Abigail loaded the last of the dishes and went into town. Jack was left in a empty house. He sat in silence and took in the solitude. He could smell her scent of lavender. He closed his eyes and he could hear her voice in his head. He could her her laugh and see her smile. Tears started to stream his eyes, when he heard a faint whimper coming from upstairs. He got up and wiped his face. Inside the room the baby was starting to get fussey. He reached in and picked the baby up. He went over to the bed and laid the baby down and realized it needed to be changed. He gathered the items need and changed the cloth and discard the other. "You are gorgeous, just like your mommy. I need to think of a name for you. Something that mommy would be proud of. So you let me know little one how you like the name." The little girl smiled up. She had light brown hair like Jack yet it was curly like her mother. She had Jack's eyelashes and Elizabeth's eyes and and nose and Jacks mouth. She had her cheeks and it appeared she had Jack's dimples. The perfect combination of the both of them.

"What if we name you Sarah?" the baby seemed to look off. " I'm not fond of that either. What about Lucy?, no that won't work. " What about Kate? No that doesn't do you justice. He thought of names and the baby just starred at him. "Oh Elizabeth I wished we had settled on a name before now". The baby seemed to light up at the name. "Beth" he repeated. The little baby seemed to move her arms as a sign that she liked the name. "Bethany Joy Thornton." We can call you Beth for short.

A knock on the door brought Jack out of his trance. Jack picked up his daughter and went to see their visitor. On the other side of the door stood a nervous Charlotte. The last time she had been in Hope Valley she was attending a wedding for her oldest son. Now a sadder occasion. " Hi Mom" Charlotte hugged her son with a deep hug. She glanced down once she felt a movement in between them. 'Meet your first granddaughter, Bethany Joy Thornton". " I love you baby, Charlotte said with a smile" She moved inside the home that once was so welcoming and now felt so cold. She glanced around. "I know" said Jack. " I keep waiting for her to appear and talk to us" "It doesn't last long son, yet it will take time." Charlotte said. She felt for her son. She knew her share of heartbreak. Losing Thomas was hard for her. On the other hand she was able to spend many years with her husband. Jack and Elizabeth had spent majority of their marriage apart, due to the war up North, he had only been back a short amount of time before her due date and now this. "Son, I know you don't want to have to plan for the upcoming events, but you need to have a sense of what is going to happen." "I have taken time off of work" I want to be here for Beth, we are all we have" Charlotte smiled. "I'm going to help you son, I have rented my home to a local family, and I will be moving to Hope Valley to help you and the baby. Your career is in the Mounties, that is how you make livelihood you have to work to support Beth, and yourself. I will be here to help.

Day of the funeral

The last few days had been a whirlwind. Isabel, from the settlement had come a by every few hours to feed Bethany, and Charlotte was there to help keep her busy, when she wasn't sleeping. Jack spent most his time in their room. Now just his room. All he could do was look at her side of the bed. How it was now empty and cold. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was used to losing people. He had lost many loved ones in his life, but this lost broke him. He had never felt crushed. He tried to think of the good things he had in his life. He survived the North, he had his mother close to him and downstairs he had a piece of his beloved wife, a product of the love they shared, Bethany Joy. He had to pull through for her. He glanced at the clock, he needed to be ready to go to the church for the funeral in two hours. He rolled over to her side and took a deep breath. He got up and took a shower and got dressed in his serge. He glanced in the mirror and for a second he could feel her embrace. He closed his eyes and took a breath. He thought back to a moment they had shared when he was getting ready to do their rounds.

 _Flashback_

come back to bed, Elizabeth called out. "You go back to sleep, the sun hasn't even risen yet. You need your rest". Jack responded. He stood in the mirror and finished getting dressed. "How can you expect me to go to sleep when you are dressed like that". She climbed out of bed and placed her arms around his waist. "My stomach is in the way" she laughed. He glanced in the mirror and smiled at her. He turned around and placed his hands on her stomach. "I love you, but you and your mommy need your rest" He smiled up at Elizabeth. He got down on knee and lifted her knight grown. He then placed kisses all over her stomach. She laughed at him. "Little one your daddy is silly". He then stood up and looked back in the mirror with a smirk on his face. He counted to himself in his head. One, two.."Well what about me" Jack laughed "I was waiting for you to say that" He placed his hands on her face and looked her in the eyes. "I could never forget about you". He kissed her slowly with so much passion. He opened his mouth slightly allowing more access, in which Elizabeth took full advantage of. "How much time do we have" she said into his mouth. "I will just be late for rounds today" He carried her back to bed.

 _Present day_

He smiled to himself at the memory he had just had. He finished getting ready and then headed downstairs. The ceremony was beautiful. The church was packed. The Thatchers were there, all the towns people and majority of the settlement. Lee had closed the Mill so people were able to attend. Jack was in a trance the whole time. This wasn't his first funeral but it felt so different. He smiled and thanked everyone for coming, he smiled when people commented on the resemblance Bethany and Elizabeth shared. Mrs. Thatcher smiled at the end of the service at Jack. "I know we had a rocky start, but I want you to know we are still family. I want updates on Bethany Joy and you, I will do my best with my health to make more visits." She gave him a hug and Jack smiled. "I will be glad to come to Hamilton with Bethany, I want her to know where her mother grew up and I want all of you to be in her life.

 **After the Funeral**

Jack held Bethany close to his heart and walked home. On the walk home he vowed that he would put her first in his life and would always be there for her.

 **6 Months later.**

"Look who's home Beth" Charlotte smiled as she saw Beth smile big when Jack walked in. He placed hung his hat and walked over to his smile Joy. Bethany Joy Thornton lived up to her name she was truly a joy to be around. Her smile and giggle had been what got Jack out the dark. He loved her so much. "Hi baby girl" he smiled as he grabbed her and walked around the house. "Did you have a good day?, Daddy spent the whole day thinking of you". "Sorry I didn't get a chance to come home for lunch Mom, I had a bunch of paperwork that I needed to be sorted out if I wanted to get home by dinner." He walked in the Kitchen and saw a small bowl of mash carrots and some soup. "Has Isabel been over to feed her?" "Yes she just left" "There are some mashed carrots for you to give to her and there is soup for dinner on the stove?" "I'm going to go out for a bit" Jack took off his serge and sat down with Beth," someone want some carrots?" He glanced over at his beautiful daughter. He feed her the mush from the bowl and watched as her eyes lit up. It must be good he thought. He thought of the moment when Elizabeth had burned the fried steak she had made with Rosemary. The steak was so badly burned but Jack swallowed every piece of it for her. His stomach was in knots afterwards but it was worth it to see her smile. He grabbed his fork and tried a bit of the carrot mush. It was awful, yet he laughed. Bethany was clearly pulling a Jack. after dinner Jack settled down with the bedtime routine. He gave Beth a bath, changed her and put in warm clothes. He then grabbed Elizabeth's journal and started reading it her. He had had started reading the journals to her a few months ago. He wanted her to be close to her mother even with her not here in the physical form. He would randomly pick a journal off the shelf and read it aloud to her. Just a few pages a night. He would glance down and Bethany would be wide awake taking it all in. He loved his little girl with all his heart. He would then say a pray with her and place her in the crib. He then would watch her for a few moments and then head out the room and go sit out on the deck. He would sometimes grab the journal and sit outside and read for a few hours. It made him feel like she was sitting outside with him. He could reflect on his day and it felt as if he was talking to her.

 **First**

The holidays had come and gone and the town pulled together to give Bethany Joy a amazing first Christmas. Jack tried his best to be strong not only for him but for his daughter. She deserved a happy father. Jack did his best to decorate the tree and make the home jolly for the holiday. Time then passed and her first birthday was drawing near. Bethany's first steps happened at the jail when she came by to visit her dad at lunch time. Jack's heart was so full of happiness and love he was so happy and proud to be this little's one dad. He decided to throw her a birthday party at Abigail's cafe and invite the whole town to come out and celebrate. Rosemary designed the cutest dress for her to wear. "Every little girl needs a gorgeous outfit for her birthday" explained Rosemary. The dress was was pale lavender color with white trim around the collar. Jack loved the dress and it fit Beth perfectly. How did I get so lucky he thought to himself. He was so happy and in the moment he remembered the day Elizabeth told him she was expecting.

 _Flashback_

She had been acting odd all week. He noticed that she was really moody and irritable, she responded in grunts and groans. Yet he still smiled and responded back I love you too. He glanced over at her as she was finishing up grading papers and he thought to himself that even with a bad mood he still found her charming and loving and still cared for her deeply. He was in love with that woman. The next few days were rough. She seemed to be quiet ill. She would get sick and vomit early in the morning before going to work. Sometimes Florence would have to step in and finish the school day. Jack was growing concerned for his wife's health. Little did he know the reason why she was going through changes. When he came home for lunch she had a bag packed and was sitting in the kitchen. "Honey are you going on a trip I don't know about?" Jack asked concerned. "What, no we are going out of town for the weekend, I need a break from Hope Valley, we need to spend some time together". "Bill is letting us borrow his cabin for the weekend and he will be doing rounds for you all weekend as well." she responded. "I really needed this baby." "I've packed a bag for the both of us and I want to leave now." " Can I change out of my uniform first" He changed quickly and meet his wife downstairs. Once at the cabin her mood completely changed. They unpacked and started started dinner. She hummed and seemed to be a happier mood. Jack came up behind her and kissed her cheek softly. "Hmm I love you" She turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck. "How did I get so lucky?" she asked. After dinner Jack cleaned up the dishes and met his wife outside on the porch swing. He grabbed her hand and kissed it. "Thank you for planning all of this." said Jack. "It was a little selfish on my part, I wanted you all to myself once I tell you the news I have" Jack looked over at her concerned. "Is everything okay?" "Yes, more than okay to be honest. We are going to have our hands full pretty soon so I wanted to enjoy the time with just us." She smiled. Jack still had no clue what she hinting at. So she placed her hand her stomach. Jack watched her movement and then the biggest smile appeared on his face. "Really" "We are having a baby?" He picked her up off the swing, and swung her around. "It's not too fast?, you just got back from the North and we just got married a few weeks ago, Jack it hasn't even been a month." "Jack carried her inside and made his way straight to the bedroom. He laid her down and kissed her gently. "I'm the lucky one."

The year had been a whirlwind that was for sure. He picked up Bethany and gathered her belongings and meet the town at the birthday. Abigail, made a delicious cake for the little beauty, the cafe was decorated and was beautiful. Bill pulled out the camera and snapped a picture of the father and daughter as he smiled at her smashing her cake. Everyone was happy, the energy in the room was as if Elizabeth was their.

 **Four years later**

"Daddy, daddy daddy" Beth, screamed as she ran into Jack's bedroom. Today is the day. My first day of school. Jack smiled. Beth had been so excited for the first day of school since summer. "Sweet heart, it's still quiet early you need to lay down and get some more rest." Jack said calmly as he glanced at the clock. It was 2am and she was hyper as she could be. It made Jack think back to the nights where she was teething. He kissed her head and pulled the blankets back. Sleep sweetheart, or you will be sleeping and Granny won't have that, now will see. Charlotte had taken over as the teacher of Hope Valley, due to Beth being able to start school. She sold her home and Hope Valley was now her permanent address. "Daddy, could you read to me, please." Jack smiled. He grabbed a journal off the shelf and read to her. She was asleep soon, yet Jack kept reading. He closed the book and glanced down at his sleeping beauty. She slept just like her mother. It was so funny how much they had in common. A few hours later he woke her up and help her get ready. He was so happy yet sad as he walked her to school. At the steps of the school house he took a deep breath. This place was dear in his heart. He gave her a hug and kissed her head. "Daddy, Im scared, Im scared I wont be good at school like mommy was." Beth looked as if she was going to cry and she made herself smaller as she tried to crawl into Jack's lap. "Oh baby you will be great, you are just as smart if not smarter than mommy. Remember she is always with you baby. "I will be back to check on you at lunch time, he kissed her head. He watched as the other children entered the building.

 **18 years later,**

As Jack stood waiting to walk his daughter down the aisle,for her wedding day he thought back to her first day on the steps of the school. Much time hard past. Bethany excelled in school and went off to Teacher college like her mother in Hamilton. While there she meet a banker who Jack liked and he treated her with respect. He smiled at Beth, as she grabbed his arm. He kissed her cheek, " I love you honey, you will always be daddy's little girl" "Take a walk with me Daddy" Beth beamed as she walked down the aisle with her father.


End file.
